Driving to Colorado meant that I had a bunch of lenses at my disposal for photographic adventures. So I had my macro lens in
some situations, and was able to discover that Colorado wildflowers are indeed beautiful.

This was taken in Golden Gate Canyon State Park, near Golden Colorado.

For me, it may be the SF I read when I was 12, but I was not yet reading contemporary SF at that point. Thanks to an older brother introducing me to HIS Science fiction, I was reading for the most part slightly older science fiction than the contemporary at the beginning.

I read none of these in 1983 or 1984. It would take me a couple of years to discover Brin, Varley, McCaffrey. It was a long time before I hit on MacAvoy. I was reading Asimov at that point, Asimov was one of my first authors but I was reading used paperbacks, not new ones. So I didn’t get to this one for a while.

Similarly, I hit Cyberpunk and Neuromancer a few years after its Annus mirabilis of 1984. I wanted to “catch up” with all the back history of the field, you see.

Zelazny’s Merlin novels were the first novels I was eagerly trying to read “in real time”. As time went on, I slowly started to shift toward new or recently published SF. It was the mid to late 90’s when I started reading Hugo and Nebula nominees in the year they came out, as a way of staying abreast of the field.

When I started reviewing seriously enough to have publishers start sending me books was when I started managing to read books *before* official release, but that wasn’t until about 5 or 6 years ago.

In the rightwing view, each man is or should be mature and able to defend himself. More than this, it is his duty to defend himself and his family. The role of the police is limited to avenging wrongs after they are done, not preventing them. Police are not bodyguards and have no enforceable, legal duty to protect citizens.

I disagree. What of those citizens who have no capacity or talent for self defense? Not everyone is a Heinleinian uber competent. And this doesn’t even get into physically challenged citizens. So, a blind head of household should be able to defend himself and his family or else he’s a failure as a man and a citizen?

The post talks about examining assumptions and a failure on the left to do so. The same might be said of you, John.

I haven’t experimented much with monochrome flower action, but this time, for this Macro Monday edition, I thought I’d give it a shot. I darkened the background, brightened the flower and went to the B&W conversion. I also cropped this to a square.

Visitors to Tor.com might have noticed a post called Of Dogs and Men: Clifford Simak’s City, under the rubric Lost Classics, by yours truly. Yes, I post at Tor.com now, and the title “Lost Classics” should clue you in that this is similar to the Mining
the Genre Asteroid column at Skiffy and Fanty. Speaking of Skiffy and Fanty, I have an interview with Morgan Grant Buchanan and Claudia Christian, yes, THAT Claudia Christian, at Skiffy and Fanty. Check that out.

Also, the new Fox Spirit Books Anthology: EVE OF WAR is now out, and that has a sword and sorcery story by yours truly called “The Crossing”. More info on the anthology, and links
to buy it, are here.

Longtime readers and followers of my life know I have had a contentious relationship with my 2002 Dodge Neon. Far far out of the mainstream, and no longer reliable, I have been trapped and pent for months in the Twin Cities.

Today, I took the plunge and bought a new car. Specifically, a Mazda 3. Her name is Minerva One

So where did the name come from?

The Neon had a name once upon a time, when I was young and foolish. I got rid of that name, but never renamed her.

Several names competed as I looked over and decided on a Mazda. Given my untrustworthy Romanophilic tendencies, a Greco Roman name
was practically obligatory. So when I picked the reflex blue (blue grey/steel) one, Minerva floated to the top.

Why Minerva *One*? Well, especially compared to the Neon, my new car IS like a spacecraft. So Minerva One she is.

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A Reality-Based Blog for Paul Weimer’s interests, including but not limited to Science and F/SF, books, Movies, NFL Football, Role Playing Games, Photography, and why 6*9=42. "Living in the Science Fiction Present", Proudly supporting Anti-Mundane SF, and aware of all internet traditions! I’m just this guy, you know?